Transformative Education Speakers

At BLC13, our esteemed keynote and main session presenters framed a variety of ideas that had our participants thinking about the global reach and transformative nature of the work that can be done in schools today. We are currently in the process of assembling another fantastic array of speakers.

Meet Your Host, Alan November

Host

Alan November

Founder, November Learning, Marblehead, MA

An international leader in education technology, Alan November began his career as an oceanography teacher and dorm counselor at a reform school for boys. Today, he thrives on challenging educators' thoughts about what is possible in teaching and learning. Recognized as one of the nation's most influential thinkers, Alan has delivered keynotes and workshops in all 50 states, across Canada and throughout the UK, Europe, Asia and Central America.

Meet Our Esteemed Keynote Presenters

Alan November selects each keynote speaker and featured presenter based on a personal connection with the ground-breaking qualities of his or her work. There is no request for proposals to find these innovative minds. Varied and valuable, the topics covered by our esteemed guests draw an array of participants for a truly global experience. Get to know more about these powerful practitioners of transformative education – including Alan November himself, BLC’s host.

Keynoter

Dr. Yong Zhao

Associate Dean for Global Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Born in China’s Sichuan Province, Dr. Yong Zhao is an internationally known scholar, author and speaker. His works focus on the implications of globalization and technology on education. He has designed schools that cultivate global competence, developed computer games for language learning, and founded research and development institutions to explore innovative education models. He has published more than 100 articles and 20 books.

Keynoter

Dr. David Weinberger

Internet Philosopher, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

One of the foremost interpreters of technology’s impact on business and society, Dr. Weinberger is a fellow at Harvard University’s prestigious Berkman Center and a four-time book author. He has been a philosophy professor, NPR commentator, technology columnist, blogging pioneer and a dot-com entrepreneur. Dr. Weinberger has received widespread acclaim for captivating presentations to such companies as IBM, Yahoo, Microsoft, Google and Disney.

Keynote Panelist

Tom Barrett

Senior Consultant, NoTosh Ltd, Nottingham, UK

Tom Barrett is one of the UK’s best known classroom teachers, working in the elementary schools sector. He curates and shares thousands of practical ideas from teachers across the globe on his blog, edte.ch, and puts into practice the very best thinking on educational technology to inspire and engage children in their learning.

Tom works on leadership, technology adoption and improving teacher capacity with NoTosh in schools across the UK, and inspires teacher audiences with fresh ideas for engaging young people in learning.

Keynote Panelist

Kathy Cassidy

Grade One Teacher, Moose Jaw, SK, Canada

Kathy Cassidy is an award-winning Canadian first grade teacher who is passionate about literacy and about connecting her classroom with the world. Her students regularly learn from and with people and classrooms from around the world.

Kathy has a classroom blog and her students each have their own blogs which are digital portfolios reflecting their learning in all subject areas. These portfolios include images, video, podcasts and other evidence of their learning.

In addition to teaching, Kathy is an author and speaker. You can also find her online at her professional blog and on Twitter.

Keynote Panelist

Dr. Alec Couros

Professor of Educational Technology and Media at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Keynote Panelist

Catlin Tucker

English Languauge Arts Teacher, Windsor High School in Sonoma County, Windsor, CA

Catlin Tucker is a Google Certified Teacher and CUE Lead Learner. Her first book Blended Learning for Grades 4-12: Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-Centered Classrooms was published by Corwin in June 2012. She is a professional development facilitator, curriculum designer, education consultant and frequent Edtech speaker. She is active on Twitter @CTuckerEnglish and writes an education technology blog at CatlinTucker.com.

Additional Presenters

The following presenters have been invited to speak at BLC13. This list will be updated as we invite and confirm more presenters.